Recognising an Embedded Spell Cast

[Slave_Labourer]

Hi there,

         A bit of background, I am playing a PC from Krym-Kahar who happens to be both a slave owned by one of the PCs and a sorcerer. Now problem is most of the PCs in the party are of the opinion sorcerers should be burned at the stake, so my character (being a slave) was generally left to sleep in stables or outdoors while the rest of the party were indoors at inns/taverns etc. Well, at first as the plot unfolded within the inns etc. I was a bit peeved as that made interacting with NPCs a bit difficult - but fortunately made it very easy to spend my evenings embedding spells.

        One of my first spells was a "Beneath Notice" spell that made the target consider me beneath notice (being a slave and all), essentially a variation of the Drunkness spell in the rules book. I embedded it in the rock with the command word "Codfanglers", an old in-joke for our group as a generic command word that one won't use in everyday conversation.

        Now - here's the thing, another PC who is secretly a sorcerer joined the group. In the wake of a recent exploration of a cave, my owner and I went off alone (always a bad sign) with the rest of the PCs close behind. However, something lurking in the cave used some sort of Conquer spell to make the other PC go beserk and attack me.

        Lacking any skill in combat, and therefore about to be killed by my warrior-woman owner, my reflex was to yell "Oh Codfanglers!" and activate my "Beneath Notice" spell, leaving my owner beserkly swinging shouting "Where are you?" until the bad dude's spell wore off.

       Anyroads, sneaky other-sorcerer PC was allowed to make an Arcane Theory roll to recognise my PC had cast a spell. He made it, and rubbed his hands with 'about to blackmail you' kinda glee. ;)

       This made me feel this was a bit of a duff DM call as I thought the effects of embedded spells were meant to be a bit subtler than that, what with all the recognisable magic incantations etc. having been done when I cast the spell. In the interim I made potions of healing etc. to disguise my growth magics as 'ancient herbs' etc. If the other PC could see magic fair 'nuff, games up, but I was trying to be subtle (ok - Codfanglers could mean something in my native tongue). :D

        I don't see why the above action should be recognised as casting a spell, or failing that it could be ascribed to the "evil mind affecting magics of whatever was in that cave". Sure, something dodgy obviously happened, but it just happens there is obviously a convenient evil sorcerer to blame within the cave who was driving my owner mad. :D

        So I was wondering what the opinion of the learned counsel on this board is? I always thought embedding spells was a get-around for the Dependance (Vocal) I've saddled myseld with.

        So - is it a case of "Fair enough, stop whining" or do you disagree with the call?

[Ashren Va'Hale]

im with you on that, how would arcane theory allow you to recognize an imbedded spell activated by a word? Makes no sense to me.... if he saw you prep the spell though.......

[Brian Leybourne]

Yeah, got to agree.

There isn't, in TROS, a "detect somebody using magic" skill or talent, unless they see you using gestures and/or dialog and/or sacrificing virgins at midnight in a graveyard while rubbing dead cats on your bottom.

So I say harsh call perhaps. On the other hand, probably a nifty story-enhancing decision, as it creates all sorts of cool tension between you and that other sorcerer (who, I should add, you can similarly blackmail, if he blows the whistle on you, then you can take him down with you), so although it seems harsh, it may well be the best decision for the game, funwise.

Remember, do not meddle in the affairs of Seneschals, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

And besides, it's an easy enough problem to head off. Simply steal his belt one night, embed a nasty spell on it with a command word he's likely to use in conversation, and wait. Eventually he'll trigger the spell and the rest of the group will give him the smackdown for being a sorcerer. When he starts pointing his finger at you, just look innocent and it'll look like he's just trying to save his own skin...

Brian.

[Jake Norwood]

In my home games I allow siehe and sorcerers to "sense" magic sort of automatically by giving them "the willies." Just for fun.

Jake

[Slave_Labourer]

Fair enough, but even in that case if someone/something else was already casting spells then there would already be 'willies' abounding wouldn't there, and you'd have no idea whether it was friend or foe casting?

[Ben]

or sacrificing virgins at midnight in a graveyard while rubbing dead cats on your bottom.

THAT'S AWESOME!!!

Ahh...a side spliting laugh when a laugh is most needed, thanks.

[PAD the MAD]

HI Folks,

Finally registered for the forum...

Jus tso people know, I'm the nasty Seneschal who gave sorcerous player a chance to recognise magic being used from an imbedded item.

The situation as presented is mostly accurate. However, look at it from the point of view of an observer - regardless of whether they are a sorceror or not.

1) investigating a cave with 'an old man who pays for Priests to be handed over to him
2) Carvings on the supports that the Krymm Kahan character recognises as wardings and explains that he's seen them used back home to another PC
3) something does indeed influence the slaves master to attack him, at which point he yells out his  "Oh Coddfanglers" and runs away.
4) Affected character looks confused at the sudden disappearance of her target immediately as he calls out (otherwise she'd have carved him up real good)

Not too unreasonable for a sorcerous trained person to recognise a pell has occured (on the owner) followed by another one (on the slave). If the player wants to assume that it was the slave who cast the second spell that seems fairly reasonable (though two or more of my players (including the second sorceror) are apt to drawing conclusions based as much on player knowledge as character knowledge... ho hum)

Anyway, the way I see things happen involves the death of the blackmailer - who is also a thief - and possibly one or two other PCs if things come out into the open (not too likely given the roleplaying ability of the slave's player). Alternatively, and more likely the slave explains his way out of it gaining several Spiritual Attribute points in the process...

Anyway, things wil work out one way or another.

BFN

PAD

[Slave_Labourer]

Actually, I had thought of a few ideas, such as embedding a CTN 1 spell within the rival sorcerer (I don't know if he's a sorcerer, but he'd make a convenient scape-goat as he's a dodgy fellow even though we couldn't see him at the scene) with a conveniently regularly used piece of dialogue as the trigger... result instant aging of the other with little discernable effect. Then it should be rather obvious to all concerned this wonderful sample of a human being is a sorcerer and used his abilities while hidden to protect me.  ;)

All for the expense of 2 sorcerous pool and 1-2 seconds of quietly chanting over the victim while on watch. :D

And people thought embedding spells in people would have no use... :)